Barely 24 hours after Nollywood veteran Victor Olaotan died after years of treating traumatic brain injury, another leading light in the industry Prince Ifeanyi Dike has been reported dead.
Dike, a TV presenter and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), reportedly died of kidney-related disease.
AGN’s Director of Communication, Johnbull Okechukwu, told Netng on Friday that the association is still trying to confirm the report of Dike’s death from his family. “We will release an official statement when we confirm.”
He had had two kidney transplants in the last ten years. In 2011, Dike travelled to India for a kidney transplant and returned a few years later for another transplant.
After his transplant, he became a leading advocate for better healthcare. He also joined hands with other survivors to establish a kidney foundation. In 2019, he called on the Nigerian government to give consumers a tax waiver on kidney drugs to allow more average Nigerians to assess treatment during dialysis and after transplant.
In 2018, the Nigerian Association of Nephrology (NAN) said 25 million Nigerians have kidney failures, and a patient needs N400,000 monthly for dialysis. There is presently a shortage of dialysis centres and facilities in Nigeria to manage patients.
Diabetes has been identified as the leading cause of kidney failure.
In 2016, popular music producer, OJB Jezreel, died of kidney disease three years after a kidney transplant in India.
